SSMCOC statement on today’s exemption from
U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs

#LSN_Econ

Sault Ste. Marie, ONTARIO March 8, 2018 (LSN) The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce is issuing the following statement pertaining to today’s announcement by the United States Administration that Canada would be exempted - at least during the continued NAFTA negotiations - from tariffs being imposed on steel and aluminum imports into the United States:

The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce would like to acknowledge the hard work of the volunteers and members at the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce that have provided strong and valuable input and guidance into our messaging in recent days, and during the past year, specific to Canada’s steel industry. Recent days have driven home to everyone, in both Canada and in the United States, the importance of the North American steel industry and the many jobs in both countries that are created, both directly and indirectly, as a result of the industry.

The Canadian government and Prime Minister Trudeau have accomplished a significant milestone in advancing Canadian interests. Similarly, the concentrated effort by our local political leadership, MP Terry Sheehan, MPP Ross Romano and Mayor Christian Provenzano, is to be commended; the efforts that they have put forward clearly demonstrate our ability to come together as a community to build a future of prosperity for Sault Ste. Marie.

The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce was in Ottawa twice last year, along with the Chambers from Hamilton and Windsor-Essex and several of Canada’s largest steel producers, appearing before the Standing Committee on International Trade and before the All-Party Parliamentary Steel Caucus. Together, we made a strong argument for exactly how important the steel industry is to both our community and to the national economy.

In 2017, the three Chambers authored a Canadian Chamber of Commerce resolution requiring the Government of Canada to act on behalf of steel and trade-exposed industries in light of the United States review of Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. It is that review that we have been watching play out in recent days.

While the discussions on NAFTA advance, your local Chamber will continue to advocate to ensure that those nations that do not respect trade law and fair trade do not take advantage of Canada for the purpose of entry into the U.S. market nor divert their goods into Canada at the expense of Canadian jobs and Canadian economic well-being.

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About the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce

The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of 700 plus business and agencies in Sault Ste. Marie and has been serving the needs of this community since 1889. The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce will lead the way as the voice of business, advancing economic prosperity for its membership and the business community. Learn more about the SSMCOC at www.ssmcoc.com